Musings on Active Adult Housing from an Active Adult

Kent Dussair
CDS Community Development Strategies

​What is active adult housing? From my “seasoned” perspective, let me explain it to all you whippersnappers out there. There comes a time when we reluctantly stumble into the never-never land known as old age, and our world begins to change. We can’t run and jump like we used to, and sometimes just making it from the chair to the refrigerator seems like an Olympic event. The good news is, homebuilders have us in mind. 

For most of us it takes a while to come to grips with this new reality. First we convince ourselves this unholy transformation is only temporary and “tomorrow” we’ll be back on top. Sooner or later reality sets in and we must swallow the bitter pill that we are never going to be young again. But on the bright side, you won’t be alone. In fact, more and more people are making it to old age. According to many gerontologists, life expectancy continues to lengthen and someday soon just about everyone will enjoy becoming a Centenarian. To accommodate this growing demographic, many things must change—not the least of which will be senior housing. 

For those of us approaching old age the question often arises “why can’t I just stay where I am”. Well maybe you could, at least for now. The practical issue is, why the heck would anyone even consider making the effort to move into something other than a comfortable single family home or nice garden apartment? How could any alternative environment possibly be better suited to our new found, albeit grudgingly appreciated, situation. Well, let’s examine the precept. The idea here is to maintain our dignity, lose the extra rooms and stairs we don’t need while preserving our cherished independent lifestyle. Even the vaguest thought of life in an institutional retirement home is totally frightening, and out of the question for many. So, let’s get serious here, what are our options? 

Well, our friends in the real estate development business understand the conundrum and have come up with a notion that addresses seniors’ needs and at the same time allows one to feel good about themselves. The concept is known as “Active Adult Living.” It does have a ring to it! And, it seems that many of us have slowly but surely accepted the fact that Active Adult Living is a plausible solution. In fact, more and more of my peers have already made the move. Personally, I’m still suspicious of the whole thing; just saying the words Active Adult reminds gives me visions of wheelchairs and mushy peas. 

Let’s be honest, the concept of age-restricted housing is not for everyone –especially those who don’t want to be socially active. But maybe it’s not that bad. Imagine a livable one story design with lots of amenities, security that allows you to lock, leave and travel, neighbors just like you, lots of fun activities and a state of the art facility for staying fit and healthy. We can even continue to barbeque in the back yard, tend to the garden, and take walks in the neighborhood. On the surface, it sounds pretty damn good. Which explains why the Active Adult Living master planned communities are becoming very popular among the chronologically impaired.  Come to think of it I have enjoyed visiting friends in several of the highly landscaped gated housing communities that are popping up all around Houston. I can’t remember hearing any complaints.  Hmmm... I think I might go look at some models this weekend. ​

About the Author: Kent Dussair founded CDS in 1971 for the purpose of providing professional market and economic research and consulting services. With over 50 years of professional experience, Kent continues to help CDS implement and evaluate effective qualitative research.